Experience day showcases UH Manoa programs and services

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is ranked in the top 12 percent nationally for universities and colleges, according to the most recent annual rankings by U.S. News and World Report and the numbers are even higher when it comes to research.

“Right now we’re ranked 51st in the country among all universities, public and private,” said UH Mānoa Chancellor Tom Apple. “And our international rankings are incredibly high, top 150 in the world, which puts us ahead of many prominent universities that people think about on the mainland. ”

The Mānoa Experience shows prospective students and parents the programs and services the campus has to offer.

Despite consistently placing high each year, UH Mānoa is often underappreciated in its own state. So every spring semester, the university hosts the Mānoa Experience University Preview Day to showcase all it has to offer to prospective students, parents and the general public.

“There’s something here for every passion,” said Apple. “One of our major goals at UH Mānoa is for students to find their passion.”

About 200 UH Mānoa programs and services are represented with displays, interactive activities and demonstrations, which are run by faculty, staff and students. It all happens on tree lined McCarthy Mall, located in the heart of the campus.

“It seems like a lot of people are really excited about what they do and all the teachers are really excited with representing their different programs,” said Elena Barbour, a Windward Community College student who attended the 2014 Mānoa Experience University Preview Day and is planning to transfer to UH Mānoa.

“It helps because the tents here, the programs here, kind of gets you ready, tells what to expect, what you want to learn,” said Castle High School sophomore Trey Aho, who hopes to be accepted at UH when he graduates.

There are also a variety of campus tours, presentations on subjects like applying for scholarships and the admissions office is open for prospective students to submit and check on applications.

“I didn’t realize it was going to be such a big production. So I am kind of impressed by this set up and it gave me a different perspective of UH,” said Trudy Sherlock, who took her daughter Jessica, a high school senior, to the 2014 event.

The Mānoa Experience University Preview Day attracts more than a thousand people each year and most say they are surprised when the discover the wide variety of programs and services offered at UH Mānoa.

“People ought to realize what a gem we have right here in Hawaiʻi and be very proud of the University of Mānoa,” said Apple.